Weekly Photo Challenge -Abandoned

“If you have abandoned one faith, do not abandon all faith. There is always an alternative to the faith we lose.”

Graham Greene

LACOSTE ESTATE, PROVENCE

Our challenge this week is to illustrate the concept of “abandoned”.  Most photographers are somehow drawn to buildings that have been deserted and left to return to the elements, so the challenge presents a number of interesting opportunities.  Above, the Chateau de Lacoste, former home of the notorious Marquis de Sade in beautiful Provence, France.  Built in the 11th century, it was destroyed during the French Revolution and in 2001 was purchased by fashion designer Pierre Cardin who partially renovated it.  One can only imagine the stories we would hear if the walls could talk!

BASIC BOATHOUSE

“Old books that have ceased to be of service should no more be abandoned than should old friends who have ceased to give pleasure.”

Bernard Baruch

At a much more basic level, I captured this neglected boathouse along the shoreline of one of the many small lakes of Northern Michigan while visiting friends outside of Traverse City.  On that same visit, we did an impromptu shoot of the long-abandoned Traverse City State Hospital (see my post here). As the photo below illustrates, one need not show an entire building to demonstrate abandonment; many times smaller elements are just as interesting as the big picture.

GARDEN GATE

“The road to positivity is strewn with the abandoned vehicles of the faint-hearted. ”

Peter McWilliams

There are times when the interiors of abandoned buildings are accessible and we are gifted with a view of life in a different era.  Below, a former sheep-shearing building long-deserted but much more interesting to my eye than the structure’s exterior.

MACHINATIONS

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

Leonardo daVinci

Abandoned buildings often provide us with a bridge to a better understanding of times past. In Patagonia, where the shearing building was located, we were offered not only a metaphorical bridge, but as shown in the capture below, a physical one as well.

BRIDGE TO THE PAST

“Basic human contact is to the psyche what oxygen is to the brain. If you’re feeling abandoned by the world, interact with anyone you can.”

Martha Beck

As Cheri notes in her challenge, there are times when abandonment refers to things other than buildings or bridges.  For example, in the famous Recoleta Cemetery of Buenos Aires many of the graves and crypts have been neglected and abandoned. Sadly, their only visitors are the feral cats who make their homes there.

LONG FORGOTTEN

“Let me feel your love one more time before I abandon it.”

Bob Dylan

Perhaps our visit to abandoned people and places should serve as a reminder to live life to its fullest. After all, is it not fairly obvious that the time to make our mark on the world around us is only the here and now?

Thanks to Cheri for sending us in such an interesting direction. To see how other bloggers were moved by abandonment, click here.

Tags: abandoned, Photo essay, weekly photo challenge

• March 2, 2014
• Photography, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
• 103 Comments